A good, honest, non-glamorization of war type book. It reminded me a lot of [b:Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War|543103|Generation Kill Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War|Evan Wright|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441919496l/543103._SY75_.jpg|908023] (but that one was better). The author had the chance to go with some troops and see first hand what battle is like. This was a good description of war:

"Wars are fought with very heavy machinery that works best on top of the biggest hill in the area and used against men who are lower down. That in a nutshell is military tactics. And it means an enormous amount of war-fighting simply consists of carrying heavy loads uphill."

Notes:

"Military vets drink because they miss the good stuff (usually the fighting). But with that said, when soldiers say they miss combat, they don't mean the fighting but rather they miss being in a world where everything is important and nothing is taken for granted. They miss being in a world where human relations are governed by whether you can trust the other person with your life."

"The ultimate wound is the one that makes you miss the war you got it in."